


From Time to Time

by acme146



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU of season 4, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Changing the Path, Children, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Metatron (Supernatural) Being an Asshole, Multi, No British Men of Letters, Puppies, Rebels, SPN AU Big Bang 2017, Soulmate-Identifying Timers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-17 03:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13068240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acme146/pseuds/acme146
Summary: You meet your soulmate when the counter on your wrist runs out. That’s how it’s always been. So Dean’s got a long wait ahead of him. That’s better than Sam, who has nothing; no one. But a looming Apocalypse is starting to shake things up...





	From Time to Time

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my submission for the SPN AU Big Bang 2017. I had a blast writing this, and special thanks to nox-soulmate for the awesome art and being a super-supportive beta.  
> Link to the art post: https://noxsoulmate.tumblr.com/post/168721809282/art-for-from-time-to-time

    

The first thing the doctor checked when Dean Winchester was born was his sex. Once it was obvious that he was a boy, the doctor examined his tiny wrist.

He didn’t say anything to Mary Winchester, who was exhausted and sweaty in the bed. Her husband stood next to her, and he watched with worried eyes as they weighed and examined the crying baby. Finally the doctor laid Dean in Mary’s arms. The baby stopped crying and latched on hungrily. Mary looked at John helplessly.

He understood. Of course he did.

“Is something wrong, Doctor?”

“Your son is perfectly healthy,” the doctor said quickly. “He’s doing just fine.”

“Then why haven’t you said anything?” John heard Mary gasp, and turned towards his soulmate.

Mary had tears running down her face. She had Dean’s tiny, pudgy wrist in her hand, and it was turned so John could see the numbers. His own were gone, had disappeared when he ran into Mary at the theatre.

Dean’s soulmate counter was at 69: 08: 03.

He would be almost seventy before he met his soulmate.

Mary cradled Dean close, and John held them both. “It’ll be okay,” he soothed. “We’ll love him enough that it won’t matter.”

Even as he said it, John knew that wasn’t going to happen. Oh, he only knew it in his subconscious, the part the angels hadn’t been able to reach when they changed his soulmate mark, but that was enough. He couldn’t love his son enough. He could barely love his wife enough.

And four years later, when Mary died, that love didn’t transfer to his sons. It warped into hate, and drove them on the road for years and years.

Dean didn’t feel bad for himself.

He really didn’t, no matter what people said. He had it better than his brother, who had no mark at all. At least he knew he would survive to seventy.

That belief was challenged over and over as he grew up, got into hunting and protecting Sam and all the monsters that attacked him…he wasn’t immortal, and he got badly hurt more than once, but somehow he kept living.

And he met plenty of girls whose time wasn’t up yet, who had two, five, ten years left to go before they met their soulmate. They would say they were sorry too, but then they would fuck and who cared, really? No one was getting hurt, and sex was great.

But sometimes, in the middle of the night, it would creep up on him. He would lie in the dark alone, especially after Sam left for Stanford, and wonder about the person he would meet in decades. What would they be like? Would they have been waiting as long as him, or would they be younger; sixty, fifty? Would they really want him?

He’d seen his father’s grief, Bobby’s grief, Ellen’s grief after losing their soulmates. There was no guarantee that meeting his would make him happy.  

He had what he needed. Losing Dad hurt, but he still had Sam, and part of him was starting to realize that maybe, just maybe they were better off that way. They had their little family, they would find an answer to the demon blood problem and everything would be fine.

Then Sam died.

It was cold in the room as Dean paced back and forth beside his brother’s dead body. The pain he felt was so intense he could hardly breathe himself. Maybe it would be better to just lie down and die beside Sam. Maybe that way they could be together.

But that wasn’t right. The world was better off with Sam Winchester in it, that was a plain and simple fact. And if that meant Dean Winchester couldn’t be in it…well. That was a pretty good deal.

Before he went to the crossroads, Dean bowed his head, tracing the stubborn timer on his arm. Still over forty years to go. “Hey, listen…I’m sorry. I’ve got to do this. Sammy’s my brother, and he shouldn’t be dead. This is my fault.”

“I know you’ll be waiting for me too, but maybe your counter will reset. They do that sometimes, right? Or maybe you’ve already found someone you love, and this will be a relief to both of you. I think your timer is supposed to fade out when your soulmate dies, so you’ll know. Just…please don’t hate me? I’m sure I would have loved you.”

Dean wished—not for the first time—that he knew more about how soulmates worked. There were so many stories and conjecture, but there didn’t seem to be consensus about a lot of things. Like whether or not your counter could be off. Or what would happen if you found your soulmate early by accident.

Or why some people, like Sam, had no counter at all.

Dean sighed, tugged his bracelet over his counter, and went to the crossroads. In ten years, that wouldn’t matter.

Only it wasn’t ten years. It was one year to the day, one year of chasing all over the country, following a desperate Sam. It was a year of Dean trying not to be scared, to be bitter, to feel so deeply ashamed. He knew Sam cried almost every night.

He couldn’t cry. He deserved to feel this bad. This was his own fault, because he fucked up his job, the one job Dad had ever given him.

He didn’t deserve to meet his soulmate. He didn’t deserve to have ten years. He didn’t deserve to be saved.

Right before the clock struck midnight, he risked a glance at his wrist. It was just under forty years now, and a terrible thought struck. What if…what if his soulmate was a demon? Fitting, for someone as dirty, as broken as him.

Then the door opened, Lilith came in, and Dean didn’t think anymore.

 

 

There was gossip when Sam Winchester was born. His older brother’s story was sad; the poor little tyke would be alone for so long. But Sam…he had no hope at all. No counter.

There were three different theories about the ones whose wrists were bare. The first was that they’d encountered their soulmates while in vitro, their pregnant mother brushing by a toddler or other pregnant lady. Most women stayed at home when they became pregnant, hiding from the world. Mary had done that, though; she hadn’t left the house once she was five months pregnant, the usual Seclusion time. The second was that the child had indeed been given a soulmate, but they’d died before the child was born. This did happen, but it was rare, with infant and child mortality at extremely low levels.

The third theory was that the child had been born of a union between two people who weren’t soulmates. And that…that was terrible to contemplate.

That was why birth control was nearly ubiquitous and nearly 100% accurate for men and women. No one wanted to have a child without their soulmate: you were matched with someone who was going to be the best parent of your child, as well as your best lover. Why mess that up? Anyone who did get pregnant usually aborted the fetus, giving the soul a chance to be born properly.

But Mary and John had one child with a counter…

That’s what Mary used as an arsenal when people gawked at her counterless baby and wedding ring. And on the long nights when John didn’t come home, when he spent time at bars instead of with their children, she convinced herself that this was the best she could get.

_She couldn’t know, of course, that she wasn’t supposed to have John Winchester’s children at all. Her timer had been reset by seven hours, meaning she met John Winchester in a movie theatre instead of meeting her soulmate at two in the morning in a field under stars._

_Once Mary was pregnant with Sam, the angels stopped renewing the bond between Mary and John’s souls, and by the time Sam was born the two were starting to come apart. They were both decent people, but they were unsuited. Not that the Heavenly Host cared. Mary wouldn’t live long anyways._

Sam never remembered the words his mother whispered to him every night when she nursed him. _I love you, Sammy. You’ll be okay. You’ll find someone who loves you._ Instead, he grew up with a faint memory of heat and screams, a brother who bought him a leather band to hide his empty wrist and a father who swore at him in drunken rage. _You don’t deserve a soulmate, you killed your own mother! We should have known you were dangerous!_

John Winchester didn’t know he’d ever said those words out loud, but Sam remembered. And those words, along with a burning desire to be safe, to be _normal_ in some way, drove him to Stanford.

The first two years were fine; he wore his leather band at all times and he just smiled when someone asked him how long he had left.

Then Brady introduced him to a blonde girl who screamed with delight when she met him.

“It’s you!”

She bowled him over with a hug, and Sam was flummoxed. It was only when the girl excitedly held up her wrist, which flashed 00:00:00 for three seconds before clearing forever, that Sam understood.

He _did_ have a soulmate.

And that soulmate’s name was Jess, and Jess was wonderful and beautiful. Sam held her at night and they planned a future and he met her parents and lied about his family. He never told her about hunting, because clearly that part of his life was over. Getting out had led him to _Jess_.

Then that Halloween night, his brother barged into their apartment.

“Who’s this?” Dean asked blithely when Jess came in.

 “I’m his soulmate. I’m Jess.”

Dean couldn’t hide his surprise, but he didn’t reveal Sam’s secret. “Well, well, Sammy. Looks like you hit the jackpot!”

There was so much earnest joy in his brother’s voice that Sam felt guilty. Here he was, happy about his life with Jess, when Dean had so much longer to wait.

Leaving her was hard, but he had to make sure their Dad was okay. They fought the Woman in White and returned to campus.

And Sam looked up to a ceiling on fire.

The next few weeks passed in a blur. Years later he couldn’t remember the specifics of the cases they worked. Dean was supportive, trying desperately to snap Sam out of it, but he didn’t understand.

 _Maybe that’s why my wrist was bare,_ Sam thought. _It was warning me it wouldn’t last._

But life had to go on, and things had to be solved. Sam stopped wearing his leather band; he met plenty of hunters with bare wrists now, and understood that there were questions you didn’t ask. He gave it to Dean instead.

Then, just as he thought he might be safe, that he’d been rescued from Azazel’s horrible death trap, a knife went into his back.

It hurt, but nothing hurt more than waking up and discovering just what Dean had done. The price he was going to pay.

The year of losing Dean was a deeper agony than Sam had thought possible. Every second was one less with his brother; every day brought him closer to an eternity alone. Most people believed that you were reunited with your soulmate in the afterlife, but Sam still wasn’t sure that Jess had been his soulmate at all. At least he would have had his brother…he would have gotten to see his brother happy.

But nothing he did saved Dean, and he watched his brother get torn to pieces.

Dean had lost his life for a broken fool who actually got a soulmate after everything, after how corrupted he already was. Dean didn’t get any happiness, would never be happy, while Sam at least had memories.

Sam buried Dean whole and unburnt, held the amulet against his chest, and swallowed Ruby’s teaching and her blood and her sex.

He was going to get Dean back no matter what.

And perhaps he would have succeeded, but someone beat him to it.

 

It took the windows blowing out for Dean to see that something had changed from being in Hell. Most of his body was normal, unbroken from the torture he’d endured, his eyes green once more. There was the strange handprint on his shoulder—but he’d noticed that right away. When he started to brush the glass off his arms, he noticed something else.

His counter was gone.

His wrist was smooth, unmarked as if there’d never been anything there.

For a moment Dean felt like staying on his knees forever, just waiting there to die. There were only two possibilities. Either he’d been in Hell longer than seventy Earth years, or he’d met his soulmate in Hell. He checked the date on the newspaper, hoping that was the case.

It wasn’t. He’d been gone four months, only four damn months for those forty years.

Dean moaned aloud. Were they a demon? _Alistair, please God not Alistair, I can’t be as bad as him…_ But no, Alistair had been there on his very first day.

Dean retched.

It had to be one of the people he tortured. It just had to be.

And what had he done? He’d ignored their pleas, and caused them as much pain as possible. The still-human part of him had rationalized that away; the sooner they gave in, the better. He was doing them a favour, really.

And now he was back, and why? Why would someone pull him out?  

Dean’s insides turned to ice. _Sam._

Reuniting first with Bobby, then with Sam provided a momentary burst of relief. Dean clung tightly to them both, a bandanna wound around his wrist to hide that it was now bare. He had to keep pretending that he didn’t remember all forty years clear as day. He had to make them think that it had been four months, and four months alone. His relief grew greater when he found out that neither Sam nor Bobby was hell bound. There was no deal.

So why was he out?

When they went to see Pamela, she called on his rescuer. And when she said _Castiel,_ Dean’s shoulder tingled. Pamela sat bolt upright, hand still clinging to Dean.

“Dean, he’s…he’s coming.”

Before Dean could ask, a flash lit the room. Bobby and Sam covered their eyes, but Dean kept his open and he saw…

He saw…

And then Dean remembered. This was the same light he’d seen in Hell, heading for him, strong and sure. The same light that turned out to be a winged being, whose hands had reached for him and lifted him easily, far out of the reach of the other demons before Dean could even yell.

 _No, Dean,_ the being had said. _You are not one of them. I have come to take you home._

The being had cradled him close, soothed him as they flew out of Hell. It was the first time in forty years that Dean had felt safe.

And now he stood before him. He was in a human body now, but there was no mistaking the glow.

“Castiel.”

“Hello Dean.” And Castiel smiled.

 

Angels weren’t supposed to have souls.

“You don’t have a soul, Cassie,” Gabriel explained to him. But Cas had numbers written in his Grace, numbers in a system humans hadn’t even invented yet. “Only humans do.”

“But I have a person!” Cas insisted. He was so young then, his first memory.

Gabriel picked him up and examined the numbers. “Perhaps this has some other meaning. I will ask Father, alright?”

But Gabriel hadn’t, because that day Michael and Lucifer fought, and before the Sun went around again both Father and Gabriel were gone.

None of the other angels cared about his marks. Cas thought about carving into his Grace; perhaps a scar would get rid of them. He wasn’t meant to have them.

Instead, he focused on being a good soldier, and one day that paid off.

Raphael called for him. “You will rescue the Righteous Man, Castiel.”

Castiel was astonished. “Do you truly think me capable?”

“It is written.” Castiel whirled to see Michael in the corner. “You are the one, Castiel. You will save the Righteous Man from his torment.”

“I will not let you down,” Castiel promised.

Michael smiled, but it wasn’t a good smile. “I know you will not, Castiel. Go now, and continue your training.”

Castiel trained for centuries for his role. He made sure he could fly the fastest, lift the most, protect anyone. He spent long nights watching humanity with Anna, curious about who the Righteous Man would be. When Anna died, he watched alone.

Finally, the day came when the Righteous Man was born, and Castiel learned his name. _Dean_. Dean John Winchester.

“May I go to him?” Castiel asked Michael. “He is only a baby.”

“You must wait, Castiel,” Michael replied. “You will know him soon enough. Besides, he is not your vessel.”

“He is my charge,” Castiel said. “I wish to be responsible.”

“If you wish that, go look after your vessel. He will need to be ready.”

So Castiel helped Jimmy Novak, the faithful, kind little boy who grew into a good man with a lovely wife and child. But in the back of his mind he wondered about Dean. How old was Dean now? Did he love his little brother? (Castiel didn’t know the younger Winchester’s name, it was considered unimportant in the eyes of Heaven. He was Lucifer’s Vessel, nothing more.) Castiel didn’t dare disobey, but he listened, kept an eye on the time…

And then it hit him.

The numbers; of course! It would be the day he rescued Dean from Hell. Father had written it to give him his mission. That was what Michael had meant; “it is written.” He must have thought Castiel a fool!

Well, that explained it. And there wasn’t much longer to wait! On Claire’s second birthday there were only forty-seven years to go. Only….wasn’t that long, for humans?

Perhaps Dean would be an old man when he went to Hell? Castiel pushed that thought out of his mind, pushed the other thoughts that whispered that Michael wouldn’t be so patient…

Castiel was horrified when the news went out. _Dean Winchester is damned,_ with forty years still to go in the numbers. Now? Truly? But could anyone, even the Righteous Man, withstand forty years of Hell’s best torturers?

No, Castiel discovered when, sick to his core, he got to Dean at last and the man was broken into demon form, his eyes black.

He’d failed Dean. He had let the Seal be broken.

He wasn’t going to fail again.

He grabbed hold of Dean tightly and lifted him up…

And from that moment, he never wanted to let go again.

His Grace was glowing, searing a mark into Dean’s shoulder before he could stop it. But it didn’t seem to hurt the man; if anything, Dean curled close to him, his soul shedding its demonic bonds.

_Dean._

Castiel was dizzy, but this wasn’t the time to think. He had to get out of Hell as fast as possible. He flew up, straight up, along the dangerous path the older angels had carved out as a desperate backup plan. But it was faster, and the demons shied away from him, screaming when their wings made contact with his Grace.

Castiel soothed Dean the whole way, promising him that he was out, he was going home, he was safe now and of course he didn’t belong in Hell. He probably repeated himself several times, but Dean didn’t complain. All he could do was shake in Cas’ hold, and Cas ached for him.

When they reached Dean’s body, deep in the earth, Cas tried to replace his soul, but Dean clung to him. _It’s you_ , he whispered. _I’m yours._

Cas hesitated, but whispered back. _I am here, Dean. And I will return, I promise you._ He ran his Grace over Dean’s body, jolting when it connected with his wrist. He watched in disbelief as the counter sprang back to life, began to count down rapidly until it reached zero. Dean’s wrist was clear.

There was no doubting now. Cas was Dean’s soulmate.

_How is that possible? I have no soul!_

But now Cas had to finish healing Dean, making sure his soul was secure. _I will return for you, dearest._

_Hurry back, please._

And Cas left him, because Michael had commanded that the Righteous Man dig his way out of his own grave. Dean could do it. He would do it. But Cas would have done it for him.

Cas would do anything for him right now.

He hovered above the ground, following Dean to the gas station, but when he tried to call out to Dean the human cowered, covering his ears. Perhaps he’d been mistaken? But no, the numbers in his Grace were gone.

Cas flew away, desperate. He hovered far above the Earth, unwilling to return to Heaven, knowing what he did. How could this happen? How could an angel be so bound to a human? And why would Father do such a thing without explaining?

He could return to Heaven, demand an audience with the Lord, but no one had met with him in untold centuries. And there was always the horror in the back of his mind, the terrible idea. Perhaps Father wasn’t there at all…

Just as Gabriel had left.

Maybe…Castiel reached out, hardly daring to believe there would be a reply. He nearly screamed when there was.

 _Gabriel?_ He probed, hardly daring to believe it. _Where are you?_

He felt a pull on his Grace, and suddenly he was halfway around the world, trembling with shock and disbelief as he faced his long-gone brother.

_What is this? Where—you are alive?_

_Castiel, we have to be quick about this._ His brother’s Grace was different; it looked like sparkling, broken glass had been threaded through it. _You know now, don’t you?_

 _I am…tied, to Dean._ It didn’t make sense to say ‘soulmate’, how could it be? _I must stay with him._ That much he knew.

_Brother, I will explain, I promise. But right now I need an answer from you. Will you forsake Heaven to protect the Earth?_

The words themselves were blasphemy, but he trusted Gabriel. And he trusted this new knowledge. _Michael and Raphael knew, didn’t they?_

 _Even if they didn’t, they know now,_ Gabriel replied. _Will you, Castiel?_

_I will do anything to protect Dean._

Gabriel waved his hand and a body appeared, one that looked very like—no, exactly like—Jimmy Novak. “I figured out how to make my own vessels a while ago,” he said, speaking through his vessel for the first time. “More proof that this is not how it’s meant to be. That there is another way.”

_What do you mean?_

“I mean, Castiel, that Father may have had another plan. At the very least, he’s left a loophole. Ready to climb through it?” He gestured to the empty vessel.

Castiel didn’t hesitate. _Yes._

Sam had only a second to be confused, concerned, and then they were gone from Pamela’s house. They stood in a clearing, and Sam’s skin crackled at the surge of magic.

There were others with him; a woman with brown hair and a man with a sharp smile.

No, Sam corrected himself. None of these people were human.

“What are you?” Dean asked the creature…Castiel.

“I am an angel,” Castiel said. He was staring at Dean, drinking in the sight of him. “I promised you I would come back.”

“I didn’t remember. I couldn’t hear you, I—”

Castiel drew Dean into his arms and held him. “It’s alright, my heart. Hush. I am here now.”

Sam stared in shock as Dean melted into the embrace, even clung to Castiel. He glanced at Bobby and Pamela, who looked as confused as he felt.

“Sorry to interrupt the lover’s reunion,” someone called out.

Sam spun and saw…but it couldn’t be…

“You!”  he blurted out.

The Trickster laughed, and his eyes glowed blue. “Not quite a trickster, Sam. An archangel.”  

“Not a…a what?” _Angels were real, **real.**_ And one had killed his brother over a hundred times.

The smile fell from the Trickster’s face. “My name is Gabriel. This is Hannah”, (he gestured to the woman), “and Balthazar. There may be others coming, but for now this is who we have.”

“Who you have for what?” Bobby snapped. “And Dean, mind introducing us properly?”

Dean pulled away from Castiel, but he kept his hand in the other man’s. “Right. Bobby, Sam, Pamela…this is Castiel. My soulmate.”

“But—but you were only gone four months!” Then Sam understood. “Oh God, no…”

“They run an efficient operation in Hell,” Gabriel said, his lip curling. “Ten years to an Earth month.”

“It is my fault, Sam,” Castiel said. “I did my best to get to Dean quickly, but I was too slow.”

“Cassie, that wasn’t your fault, remember?” Balthazar cut in. “Michael’s garrison was slowing you down.”

“Alright, time out!” Pamela snapped. “I’d like some explanation, please. In some kind of order?”

Gabriel laughed. “I like your style, Pam.” He snapped his fingers. Sam flinched, but a round table and chairs appeared. Castiel sat down with Dean pulled close to him.

Gabriel brought his hands together. “First of all, Sam…I owe you an apology.”

“You think?!” Sam didn’t care what Gabriel was, he was angry. “You owe me two months.”

“You’ll get that and more if this plan works,” Gabriel replied. “Long story short is that I ditched Heaven eons ago. I couldn’t deal with…well, with everything.”

Something snapped into place. “You lost your big brother.”

“Lucifer.” Gabriel closed his eyes. “Yes. But I don’t want to see him again, which is why I had to try and keep you on course. But I was wrong.”

“I asked for order,” Pam groaned.

“May I, Gabriel?” Hannah asked politely. “You and Balthazar just explained it to me, so it is fresh in my mind.”

“Sure, Hannah, go ahead.”

Hannah faced Sam and Dean. “The Apocalypse is to begin with freeing Lucifer from Hell. When the 66 seals are broken, the Devil will walk free. He and Michael will duel for control of the Earth, and the winner will take all—Heaven, Earth and Hell.”

“Sounds like something to avoid,” Bobby said.

“As we thought,” Hannah said. “But there is more. In order for the Earth to have a chance of surviving their conflict, the archangels need to be cloaked in vessels. Their vessels are rare, and there’s been great effort on Heaven’s part to make them exist. You two are the vessels. Dean, you are Michael’s, and Sam, you are Lucifer’s.”

Sam wanted to throw up. “The demon blood,” he whispered.

“Yes. Hell’s plan for Lucifer’s heir wasn’t as detailed.  Azazel wasn’t sure which family was Lucifer’s line. That’s why there were many Special Children.” Hannah’s eyes were filled with pity. Sam looked away.

“It doesn’t make you evil,” Balthazar chimed in. “You don’t get a free pass to do graffiti, Sam.”

“What the hell do you know about evil? You’re an angel.”

“I know that your brother going to Hell had as much to do with Heaven as that crossroads demon.”

Gabriel leaned forward. “Thing is, Sam, Heaven wants the Apocalypse too. Michael wants to defeat Lucifer once and for all, so there’s no more claimants to Heaven’s throne.”

“What about…what about God?” Sam asked. If angels were real, where was God?

“We don’t know.” It was Castiel who spoke up. His eyes were heavy with grief. “Father left a long time ago, only we didn’t know it. Michael and Raphael have kept it hidden well.”

“He was gone before I left,” Gabriel added. “I knew; all of the archangels knew. But I thought Michael and Raphael would, you know, pass that information along. I never dreamed that would be kept secret. Serves me right for trusting them.”

“When you say gone…” Sam swallowed. “You don’t mean…you don’t mean dead, do you?”

“We don’t know. I think I would feel it if he was dead. But I just can’t tell where he is. And believe me, I looked.”

“So to recap,” Pamela said. “God is AWOL, Heaven and Hell are cruising for an Apocalypse, and they want Sam and Dean for prom dresses. You guys are trying to stop it. That about right?”

“That’s the size of it,” Gabriel said.

“What can we do?!” Bobby asked. “And why hasn’t Michael taken Dean already?”

“Because he can’t unless Dean says yes. Angels are not demons, Robert Singer. Our vessels are consensual.”

“I will never say yes to Lucifer,” Sam snarled.

“Really?” Gabriel said. “Even if it meant your family was safe? That you would have the power to change the world to suit you?”

“How could I look myself in the eyes again?” Sam shot back. “It’s no good having a safe family if you can’t…if you’re ashamed to see them. For them to see you.”

He curled his fingers, thinking of Ruby.

“Sammy.”

Sam looked up. Dean had let go of Cas, and was leaning forward. “Sammy, what happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“You won’t look me in the eye right now.”  

There was a pause. “Let’s put that aside for a minute,” Gabriel said. “The next part is that we—the people sitting here—want to stop this from happening. And that’s partly because of Dean and Castiel’s bond.”

“They’re soulmates,” Sam said, frowning. “But do angels have souls?”

“They don’t. We don’t mate, either. There have been some angel-human liaisons before, but it was all about sex. No one’s ever had a counter except for Castiel, but it’s working the same. They’re bound, and I want to protect that.”

“Could that be a sign?” Bobby was frowning. “A sign of a plan B?”

“That’s what we’re hoping,” Gabriel said. “I pulled Hannah and Balthazar out once Castiel told me about this. I raised the three of them, and I hoped they would listen.”

“It’s been very strange since you left,” Hannah said. “Solemn and…and cold.”

“I’m sorry, Hannah. I should have brought you all with me then.”

“That’s in the past,” Hannah replied. “I told you, brother, you are forgiven.”

Gabriel patted her hand. “Thank you. All of you.”

“Not to cut into the family moment,” Sam said, and he really didn’t want to, but… “So what’s the plan?”

“We need to buy ourselves some time. The first seal’s been broken, but it doesn’t matter how many they break in between, so long as the last isn’t broken.”

“And the last is?”

“Killing Lilith. Once she’s dead, Lucifer rises.”

Sam’s heart stopped. “No,” he whispered.

“Sammy?” Dean was looking at him. “She’s not—”

“No, she isn’t.” Sam bowed his head. “But Ruby and I have been trying to kill her, to get you out of Hell.”

Silence fell.

“I swear to God, I didn’t know!” Sam said desperately. “But Ruby said—said it was the only way—”

“She’s been playing us since the beginning, hasn’t she?” Dean asked. He didn’t look disappointed, and that helped Sam’s guilt, but only a little.

“She’s Hell’s agent,” Gabriel confirmed. “And Castiel…well. Castiel was going to be Heaven’s. Unknowingly; but that was his role.”

“He was going to pull the two of you apart,” Hannah continued. “That way when Lucifer rose, you would hate each other enough to say yes.”

“Never.” Sam heard his brother’s voice like an echo.

“I know,” Gabriel said. “I learned that already. So for now we’re going to have to play Ruby. Think you can do that, Sam?”

Sam swallowed. He could suddenly taste the demon blood again, even though it had been over a day since he’d had any at all.

“I can help you with that,” Gabriel said. His eyes looked understanding, and Sam could tell he knew.

“Sammy, what is it?”

“Son?” Bobby asked.

“I was working on my powers with Ruby. I can kill demons now. But it takes a boost.”

“What kind of boost?”

“Demon blood.”

There was silence.

“I’m sorry. I fucked up—”

“So did I,” Dean interrupted. He reached over and grabbed Sam’s arm. “You hear me? This was part of her damn scheme, wasn’t it? And I’ve been going along with the plan just as much as you, only you’ve been alone. I left you alone.”

“You saved me.”

“And threw you to the wolves. I asked—damn it, I asked Ruby to watch out for you after I died.”

“She’s the reason I’m still alive,” Sam admitted. “I tried…I wanted to die.”

“There’s no more need for that,” Bobby said. “Both of you, you’ve made mistakes, but you’re here, you’re together, and we’ll make it through this.”

“Well said, old timer.” Balthazar’s brows were knit. “When was the last time you were with Ruby, Sam?”

“Yesterday.” Sam blushed. “She’s…she was Kristy, Dean.”

Dean blinked. “Seriously?”

“New meatsuit, but that girl was brain dead.”

“She’s going to be dead,” Dean growled.

“We might need her for now,” Castiel said. “Perhaps you should make contact with her, Sam.”

Sam looked around. The clearing appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.

Gabriel snapped his fingers. “There. You’ve got bars.”

Sam took out his phone and dialled Ruby’s number. The phone rang three times, then cut off.

“She’s rejecting my call,” Sam informed the group, but then his phone pinged with a text.

_Sorry, I can’t talk on the phone. Who are you?_

_Ruby? It’s Sam. Did you reset your phone again?_

_My name isn’t Ruby. It’s Eileen Leahy. I guess Ruby is this dead demon’s name._

Sam’s eyes went wide.

_Who are you?_

“What’s going on?” Bobby asked.

_I’m a hunter._

_So am I._

There was a pause, then a response.

_We should probably talk._

 

When Eileen was born, she had no counter on her wrist. Everyone knew that was going to happen.

There were many unfriendly eyes among Maura and Padraich’s family. No one was frightened to tell them that they were selfish to bring a child into the world together, selfish to make their child grow up without a soulmate.

“I never met my soulmate,” Maura finally exploded one day, “and Padraich’s died. We’re happy together, we _love_ each other. What’s wrong with that?”

The truth was that very few people ever had further partners after their soulmate passed away. It was generally understood that you had one shot at happiness, one chance and if death cut it short, well, it was still meant to be. It just wasn’t as happy as it could have been.

There were no stories about people who never met their soulmate, and what they should do.

Maura didn’t love Padraich the way she would have loved her soulmate, the one she waited for in an American field, watching the stars set and her counter fade. She saw his faults and criticized and compromised and lived with them, and he reined her ideas in and prodded her to stop feeling sorry for herself. And they made a baby because damn it, them being together had to have some positive result.

And they were happy, because Eileen was a beautiful baby and they loved her instantly. Maura dared to think that maybe she did deserve to be happy.

Then the banshee came and killed Padraich in front of her, threw her, broke her. Maura lived long enough to see her bleeding daughter—but _alive, still young and alive_ —and realized that she would never hear from her mother why she was alive.

“It’ll be alright, sweetling.”

That was all the energy she had left to give.

At first, Eileen was uncurious about her blank wrist. Lillian, the hunter who raised her, had a blank wrist too, and she assumed that some people had blanks, others had numbers, until she was five, being chased from a park by children screaming “soulless!”

None of her birth family wanted anything to do except her infirm grandmother, who died when she was six. The old lady was the one to tell Maura and Padraich’s story.

“You weren’t meant to be born, sweetling,” her grandmother told her. “Not that I wish you weren’t,” she hastened to add.

But everyone else did. Even Lillian did sometimes, so Eileen kept her head down and trained to be the best she could be. She’d been given the gift of someone else’s life, the life of her father’s child and her mother’s child, but she wasn’t supposed to be both. All she could do was try and make her life count.

When Lillian died, Eileen wasn’t sure what to do. She wanted to find the banshee, but that wasn’t easy after sixteen years. The best lead she had was that the monster had migrated to America (apparently there were going after descendants of immigrant families), so she followed it there.

It wasn’t easy, being sixteen and running around a new country, but Eileen managed. By the time she was TK, she was able to blend in anywhere…well, as much as a deaf girl with a strange accent could.

But she was used to that.

One summer the omens started coming thick and fast. Worried, Eileen began to head west, abandoning the Banshee’s trail for the first time in her life. She’d heard there might be some traces of the Men of Letters that way, and there were hunters she could speak to—Robert Singer, possibly Rufus Turner.

Her progress was slow (she kept stopping to kill monsters), and it was a stormy September night when her latest car broke down. As luck would have it, she broke down outside a preacher’s house, and he insisted on inviting her to stay with them.

Pastor Richard Milton’s daughter brought some posters into the guest room, and they talked together. Anna loved her parents, but there were times she wanted to get out, to see more of the world. “I want to meet my soulmate,” she explained, showing her wrist. There were only a few days to go. “What if she’s somewhere far away?”

 _Trust me,_ Eileen signed. _She’ll find you._

Who was she to say that? But Anna was young and hopeful, and had so many plans. She wasn’t going to spoil it.

One rainy night, they were sitting up together when Anna started to writhe. She started babbling about the Apocalypse, and Richard and Amy held their daughter tight, staring at Eileen like she might have the answer.

“Calm down, Anna!”

“We’re going to die, the Apocalypse!” Then her face calmed, and she stopped shaking. “Dean Winchester is saved.”

“Dean Winchester? Baby, who is that?” Amy whispered, terrified.

“I don’t know,” Anna said, putting her hands over her ears. “They’re all saying it, they’re singing it…” Richard touched her head, and she flinched. “No, my father’s going to kill me!”

Eileen reached for her bag, found the powder she used when the nightmares were too much. She grabbed a handful and blew it into Anna’s face. The redhead went limp against her father’s chest.

Amy Milton stared at her in horror.

“It’s okay,” Eileen said quickly. “She’s just asleep.”

“What did you do?”

“I know some spells.”  
The next few hours passed slowly. Anna remained asleep, but she twitched a few times, her lips forming words that confirmed Eileen’s fears. _Seals, Lilith, Hell, Angels…_

She explained as best as she could to Richard and Amy; what monsters were, what she was, why she had no hearing.

“What does this have to do with Anna?” Amy asked, stroking her daughter’s hair.

“It’s possible she’s psychic,” Eileen offered. But something about that wasn’t right. Anna wasn’t anything like the other two psychics she’d met in Ireland. Sophie practically crackled with energy, and Siobhan acted as if she wasn’t always there. Anna had seemed lucid this whole time.

“Has anything like this happened before?”

Husband and wife shared a look, and Richard sighed. “When she was a little girl, she was…she was scared of me. She thought I was going to kill her. She was two.”

“She went to therapy,” Amy said quickly. “And she got over it—the therapist thought it might be nightmares, and there were some child murders on the news…”

“Do you know anything about this?”

“I’ve never heard of this,” Eileen mused. “But I have heard of Dean Winchester. He’s a hunter, like me. We’ve never met, but I can talk to people in the hunting community, and see what happened.”

Amy clutched her hand. “Thank you so much.”

Anna stirred. Eileen watched intently as the girl woke, but Anna seemed calmer now.

“What’s wrong with me?” Anna asked.

“We’re not sure,” Eileen replied. “But I’ll help you.”

“We need to protect Dean,” Anna said.

“I thought you said he was saved?”

“Yes, but now bad things might happen.”

Richard raised his head. “That’s the doorbell.”

“Are we expecting anyone?” Amy asked.

Eileen pulled her knife. “I don’t think you should answer that door.”

Richard leapt up. “The door—someone just—”

A woman appeared in the doorway. Long brown hair framed a pretty, cruel face with black eyes.

“Hi Anna. You’re coming with me.”

Anna screamed. “Her face!”

“You’re not taking her,” Eileen snapped  

The woman glared. “Out of my way, hunter.”  

Eileen leapt forward, knife slashing. The demon grabbed her arms and tried to throw her against the wall, but as she did Eileen brought her legs up and kicked the demon with both feet. They went down together, tumbling into the hall. The demon was clawing at Eileen. Eileen kept herself calm, fighting with all she had and looking for a way out.

Her eyes fell on the demon’s knife. Using a quick hand motion that Lillian had taught her, Eileen made a grab for the knife. It fell on the ground, and before the demon could grab it again Eileen snatched it and stabbed her through the heart. She watched in shock as the demon’s body shuddered and a wave of light came from the wound.

Eileen got up, expecting it to be a trick, but the demon lay still.

Curious, Eileen recited an exorcism.

Nothing happened.

“She’s dead,” Eileen said, turning to face the Miltons.

Amy looked like she had fainted, and Richard had Anna behind him, holding one of her elephant bookends. Anna was pale. “She had wings.”

“She was a demon,” Eileen replied. She bent over to examine the demon’s body, and her eyes caught a flash of light. The demon’s phone screen was lit up. A call was coming in.

 

It was handy to have an archangel on your side, Dean reflected.

In two snaps they’d gone to the Milton house, grabbed the Miltons and Eileen Leahy, and snapped back to the sanctuary.

Gabriel was holding Anna in his arms, and she looked calm for the first time. “I know you, don’t I?” she asked him.  
“Yes, you do. I’ll explain in a minute.” Gabriel looked at Eileen. “Are you willing to stand with us?”

“I want an explanation.”

“Everyone does,” Gabriel sighed. “Alright, we need to get this place set up. Balthazar, can you go for the Novaks? Is there anyone else we need.”

“Rufus Turner, and Ellen and Jo Harvelle,” Bobby said. “They’re family.”

“Hannah?”

“I will return shortly.” Hannah looked like she was going to cry when she looked at Anna, but she disappeared.

Balthazar appeared a moment later with a man, a woman, and a little girl clinging to him. Hannah followed suit a moment later.

Jo looked around frantically. Then she spotted Anna, and rushed to her side. She held up her wrist, and cried out with delight. “It’s you! Hi, I’m Jo!”

“I’m Anna. I still don’t know what’s going on.”

“Join the club. I didn’t even know—” then Jo spotted Dean. She swayed, then launched herself at him, fists swinging.

Dean let his little sister—always, no matter what—punch him a few times. “Who the hell gave you the right to sell your soul?!” she shouted. Her face was streaked with tears.

“Hell,” Dean said bluntly. “I’m okay, Jojo. Castiel saved me.”

Jo threw herself at him again, but this time it was in a desperate hug. Then she turned back to Anna. “Sorry. I thought my brother was dead.”

“No…no problem.” Anna took her hand. “I think I’m losing my mind.” Then she gasped, and a bright light flashed in her eyes.

Gabriel hurried to her side. “Anael, be calm. It’s alright.”

Cas drew Dean against his chest. “Don’t look, dearest,” he warned.

Dean screw his eyes shut as the light grew brighter. He could hear the others shouting, hear Gabriel calling out something in a strange language.

“It’s alright, Dean.”

And Dean was calm. It was that easy. Maybe that’s what people meant when they said that soulmates knew you automatically, knew how to make you happy.

When the light dimmed, Anna’s hair was standing up, but it settled into neat waves as she stood. “Thank you, Jo. I remember now. I’m an angel.”

And that’s when everything went a bit crazy. Everyone was talking at once, shouting, asking questions, the angels were speaking in the strange language again, and Dean was starting to panic. _Too loud, too much…_

Softness draped around him, muffling the sounds. “I’m here,” Cas whispered. “It’s alright, I will keep you safe.”

Dean didn’t hesitate to curl against Cas, letting the softness that was his soulmate’s wings surround him, support him. He was so tired all of a sudden, and he didn’t understand what was going on, and he wanted to be glad to be with his family, but he was terrified to touch them, to talk to them.

“Don’t think of yourself that way,” Cas whispered. “You are still tired. You are still hurt. Rest now. I will explain it all to you soon.”

And for the first time in twenty-six Earth years and forty Hell years, Dean fell right to sleep.

After all, an angel was watching over him.  

 

The next few weeks were frustrating.

It wasn’t really in Sam’s nature to sit and do nothing, and hide in a safe place while people tore the world apart. Even at Stanford he’d volunteered, walked people home at night, kept secrets. But now all he could do was watch as Gabriel and Balthazar went out on patrol and gathered information. It led to a shouting match early in.

“Damn it, I am trying to keep you all safe!” Gabriel snarled at last. “I’ve let things get this bad; I could have stopped it!”

“You don’t know that,” Sam replied. “Your brothers have wills of their own. And I…I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.”

“It’s not your fault, Sam.” Gabriel’s eyes were fierce, almost daring him to argue. “We know what some of the Seals are, we can feel them when they break, that has to be enough.”

And Sam was forced to agree.

They’d hidden in the same old grove of trees, but it seemed bigger than when they first landed. There were treehouses which were super comfortable; they reminded Sam of the _Swiss Family Robinson._ The Miltons and Novaks slept in one, slowly getting used to the idea of the supernatural. Jo insisted on sleeping with Anna, while Dean stayed with Cas in the angels house. That left Sam, Bobby, Ellen, Pamela and Eileen in the third.

Sam ended up spending most of his time with Eileen. Together, they went through the resources that Gabriel had, books and scrolls and newspaper clippings on the Apocalyptic portents. Sam had taken sign language during college, and it was fun to practice again. It was especially fun because he and Eileen could sign about how gooey Anna and Jo were together.

 _I’ve never seen her act like this,_ Sam signed one day. _She was always very ‘whatever’ about her soulmate._

 _Apparently it’s different for everyone,_ Eileen signed back. _What about you?_

Sam flinched.

“I’m sorry,” Eileen said quickly. “I should know better than to ask, people drove me crazy over being a blank.”

“A blank?”

“I’ve never had a counter. Eileen tapped her wrist. “My parents weren’t soulmates, but they loved each other, and they wanted to have a baby.”

“I’m a blank too,” Sam confessed. “I had a soulmate though…her timer ran out when she met me. We were happy too. For a little while…”

“Maybe there’s still hope for me,” Eileen said. But she didn’t look happy about it.

_What’s wrong?_

_I don’t really want a soulmate. I want to have what my parents had; something I know is real. Fate’s got a way of screwing people over._

_**********_

Three days later Sam heard a story for the first time, from the mouth of a demon prisoner.

“Your parents were never soulmates,” Brady—not Brady, but a demon possessing him—laughed. “Heaven tweaked their timers, and after your brother was born…well, your mother’s time was up. All the mothers had to go, you see. So why renew a soulmate bond that didn’t need to exist?”

“What about Jess?” Sam demanded. He didn’t want to believe it. “I had a soulmate!”

“You mean that girl Jess?” The demon bared his teeth. “She was Brady’s before I possessed him. A quick snap, and then...then she was yours. And when it was time for you to move on for your safe little Stanford…well, I just needed another snap—and a blade—and she wasn’t yours anymore.”

Sam killed him slowly, and retreated to the tree with no house.

Eileen climbed after him.

 _People died because I was born. People died to make sure I was born. And my purpose is to bring about the end of the world._ Sam couldn’t sign anymore. “What can I do to make that worth it?”

“Live. Don’t you think I know how you feel?” Eileen took one of his hands in both of hers. “I was never supposed to be born either. I guess I’ll never know why. But I’m here. So I’m going to be good, and so will you. So _are_ you.”

“Thank you,” Sam whispered. He leaned back against the tree, and Eileen copied him. She kept her arm handy; Sam had taught her Morse code when they realized that Anna was starting to catch on to their commentary.

“Promise me something?” Eileen asked.

“What?”

“Let me die.”

“What?! You just said—”

“I want to live,” Eileen interrupted him. “But look at the others. They wouldn’t be able to live without their soulmates. They’d do anything to keep them alive. Sooner or later, the bad guys will figure that out.”

Sam remembered Gabriel’s words. _Dean’s your weakness. The bad guys know it._

“It’s not just to do with soulmates. I’d die for anyone here.”

“I know. But you and I aren’t soulmates, so we can make that promise. No matter what, we won’t do what the bad guys say. I’m not worth the world; any time I have is bonus time. So if my death can do good, I win.”

Sam took Eileen in his arms. _I don’t want to lose you,_ he tapped into her arm. _But if that’s what you want, then I will…I will try._ He paused, and then asked her a question he could never ask of Dean. _Will you do the same for me?_

Eileen looked up at him. “Yes. But don’t leave me unless you have to. I don’t want to work alone anymore.”

Sam kissed her. It was that easy.  

At last, there was a Seal they could stop.

The sacrifice of two Reapers, and it would happen in a small town.

Gabriel agreed to let the hunters handle it, provided they split up. Sam, Eileen, and Jo would go to find the recently dead, while Bobby would take Cas, Dean, and Ellen to secure the perimeter. The rest would stay behind and monitor the signs, and raise an alert the moment they noticed anything strange.

Rufus noticed the sign first, but it was too late. They’d already left.

After all, the only person who can trick an archangel is another archangel.

Raphael had come to earth, and he’d built a set of wards that even Gabriel didn’t detect until they landed.

Gabriel yelled a warning, but it was too late; Eileen felt a blast of fire surround her, and she was carried away.

She was forced to her knees in a church, head almost on the ground.

She could see a pair of feet in front of her, a woman’s with white high heels. The feet tapped impatiently.

Eileen cried out when she felt a knife jab her shoulder.

_Oh, perfect._

“If you’re trying to get me to talk,” Eileen said, slowly and deliberately, “I’m deaf. I can’t see your lips, so I don’t know if you’re talking to me.”

There was a pause, then whoever was holding her down wrenched her up, pulling her back by her hair.

The woman above her had blonde hair and a terrible smile. “Is this better?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“How do you hunt without hearing?”

“I have four other senses in perfect working order.”

The woman shrugged. “Well, girl power, I guess. You’re Eileen, then?”

“Yes.” Not good. If they knew your name, they knew what they wanted.

The blonde smiled. “Then you’re just what we need.” Her eyes turned black.

“How do I help you?”

“Well, we wanted your soulmate to do it, but you’ll do just as well.”

“I don’t have a soulmate. I never had. I was born without one.”

“You were born without a counter. You still have one. Every human does. That’s the rules.” The blonde tossed her head. “The point is, we’re a little ahead of the game. There are five more Seals being broken as we speak.”

Eileen tried to hide her fear. That meant there would be sixty-five broken. Only one left…

“You’re Lilith, aren’t you?”

“The one and only.” Lilith smiled. “And if your soulmate’s not available, you’ll do.”

“And who’s my soulmate?” Eileen asked, but she already knew. Fate always screws you over.

“Sam Winchester, of course.”

 

Castiel leapt to his feet when Gabriel reappeared alone. “What happened? Where are the others?”

“Where’s Jo?!” Ellen’s voice was shrill, a terrified shriek.

“Raphael,” Gabriel gasped. He had wounds on his arms and in his wings. “He set a trap. They have them.”

“In Heaven?” Dean jumped to his feet. “We have to get them back!”

“We can’t just storm Heaven,” Balthazar argued. “It’s suicide, and exactly what they’re expecting—”

“My brother’s up there!” Dean snarled.

“Enough!” Pamela was rocking back and forth, hands over her face. “We need to help them. The Seals are broken, they’re breaking them all now…”

“What? Are you sure?!”

“Damn right I’m sure! I can see it!”

“Can you see where they are?”

“No. They’re…they’re shrouded.”

“Okay.” Gabriel gritted his teeth. “We need to find Sam, he’s the only one who can break the final Seal.”

“Doesn’t it make more sense that he’s on Earth? I know Heaven wants this to happen, but would they let a demon up there?”

“Jo’s up there!” Anna was shaking now. “I can feel her, Gabriel, they _have_ her, please!”

Gabriel snarled in frustration. “We’ll go to Heaven. But a few of you have _got_ to stay behind.”

“I’ll stay,” Balthazar offered. “Rufus and I can look for Sam on Earth with Pam.”

Gabriel nodded curtly. “And I guess everyone else wants to come to Heaven?”

“Yes.”

“Then here goes nothing.” Gabriel snapped his fingers.

Cas almost collapsed when they landed in Heaven. It had been only a few weeks since he’d last been here, but the place had changed dramatically. The air was crackling with power, the sky was stormy, and there was no singing. It was silent.  

Before they could get their bearings, hundreds of angels filled the space around them. Cas had his blade drawn, and he stood in front of Dean.

“Castiel! So nice of you to join us!” Zachariah was in the front of the bunch. He had Jo with a knife to her throat.

Cas snarled. “Let them all go.”

“That depends on your freakish soulmate,” Zachariah answered.

“It depends on me,” Gabriel snarled. His True voice rang out, loud enough that the humans winced. “I order you to stand down.”

“I take orders from your older brothers. Not you.” Zach held Jo tighter. “I’ve shown you a captive. Now Dean, it’s time to play your role.”

“Dean, don’t!” Cas grabbed his lover’s hand. “Please.”

“I have to, Cas. They’ll kill us all.” Dean looked at Zachariah. “Where’s my brother? Where’s Eileen?”

“You’ll see them when you say yes.” Zach drew a thin red line across Jo’s throat, and she cried out.

“Alright, alright! I’ll say yes, just let her go!” Dean let go of Cas’ hand, but not before squeezing it once.

“Dean…”

Dean walked towards Zachariah. “Let her go, and call Michael.”

“You’ve got those in the wrong order.”

“I’m not going anywhere, man! You’ve got all of us in a freaking halo of death. Just let her go.”

Zach shoved Jo forward, and Anna caught her. He started to call for Michael in Enochian.

Dean stood right in front of Zachariah, doing nothing. Cas could feel Michael’s Grace approaching. He was going to lose Dean.

And then, before he could react, he felt Raphael.

Gabriel cried out in fury. Cas whirled and saw Raphael fighting Gabriel, the others scattering for cover from the furious archangels. Even the other angels were distracted.

He turned back just in time to see Dean grab Zachariah’s blade and sink it between the angel’s ribs. Zach screamed, light pouring out of his eye sockets. He slumped to the ground.

Dean held up the blade. “Anyone want some?”

“Dean, stop that.”

Cas went cold. Michael stood in front of Dean. He was in a vessel; it had to be a Winchester ancestor. He was a little taller than Dean, and he stared at him with such fury Cas almost went to his knees. There was nothing he could do, however. All he could do was watch.

“You agree to be my vessel?” Michael asked.

The din of fighting archangels was getting louder, and Cas risked a quick glance behind, saw Anna crouching over Jo and Ellen.

“I agree on one condition,” Dean said.

“Are you in a position to be naming terms?” Michael snarled.

“You still can’t use me until I say yes.”

“Fine. Name it.”

Dean stabbed Michael. “Die first.”

Michael snarled, but only his vessel bled. His lips curled into a furious smile. “Fool.” Then he took out his own blade, and stabbed Dean through the heart.

Cas screamed. “Dean!”

Dean collapsed, eyes wide open, horribly still on the ground.

“I’ll deal with you in a moment,” Michael spat at him.

The rational part of Cas knew that Michael would bring Dean back. He had to be alive to give consent.

The rest of him charged at Michael, screaming a curse in Enochian.

Michael blocked his strike and backed up. “Oh Castiel, how far you have fallen. I thought you were trying to save the world?”

“That’s what I’m doing!” Cas dodged. He could hear screaming around him, wails of fright and panic, but he couldn’t stop, couldn’t look. “Give it up, Michael! Father must not want this!”

“Don’t you _dare_ presume what Father wants! You’re a freak, Castiel, nothing more. Angels don’t have soulmates!”

“Dean is mine, and you will not use him to wreck the world.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Michael replied. “You’re too late. Sam is with the demons.”

 “He will never do it.” Cas knew that now, he’d seen Sam’s determination.

Michael smiled as he dodged Cas’ blow, spinning easily. “Oh, Castiel, you’ve forgotten something. Destiny binds soulmates, as does prophecy. They are one person, and can fulfill each other’s roles.” He attacked with blinding speed, but Cas kept up, even as his mind reeled.

Sam wasn’t the only one who could break the Seal.

So could his soulmate.

 

“…And then I’ll connect what’s left of your feet to a generator and crank it up high.”

“No.”

Eileen was getting bored. Lilith had been inventive in her threats at first, but now she was spewing old stuff. Not that she was looking forward to dying a painful, bloody death. But if it was going to happen, and it _was_ going to happen, why not get to it?

Lilith didn’t seem surprised. “I guess you already know how worthless your life is. You’re not even worthy of a soulmate, you know. So you’ll let me do what I like to you?”

“I told you, I won’t kill you. You can’t make me.”

“I guess there’s no way to hurt you.” Lilith sighed. “Well, time for the dramatics, I guess.”

She signalled one of the demons behind Eileen. Eileen waited for something to happen.

And the bottom dropped out of her stomach, because the demon was yanking Sam forward. Sam’s face was bloody, and he was fighting the demon who pushed him down in front of Eileen.

“Sam!”

“It’s okay, Eileen.”

“It’s not, really,” Lilith said. She patted Sam’s head. “I was just telling your soulmate what I was going to do to you.”

“No,” Eileen whispered.

Sam looked like Lilith had slapped him. “My…my…”

“She’s always been yours,” Lilith said. “And you’ve always been hers. You fell in love without knowing that, didn’t you?”

Eileen fought back tears. She had to keep her vision clear, she had to know what was being said, but she had a sinking feeling she already knew.

“So Eileen, here’s how it works. If you don’t shoot me, I’ll go through that list, but it won’t be with you. And I know you can’t hear, but you’ll watch every last second.”

Eileen looked at Sam. Finding out that he was her soulmate changed nothing, in the end. She still loved him enough to know what to do.

“I’ll do it.”

“Good girl.” Lilith patted her head. “You won’t do anything stupid, right?”

“I won’t.”

“I believe you. Let her up.” Lilith put her hand over her mouth.

Eileen _hated_ it when people did that. She was obviously still speaking.

Lilith took her hand away. “Oh, and Sam? Don’t try any heroics, or I’ll slit her throat and put her on the ceiling. You’ve gotten used to that aesthetic by now, haven’t you?”

The demons yanked Eileen to her feet, and let her go. Eileen didn’t let herself stumble, didn’t take her eyes off Lilith. The blonde smiled, and gave Eileen the Colt.

“This is the Colt. I’m sure Sam’s told you about it.”

He hadn’t, but Dean had. They thought that Bela had destroyed it.

“Aim true, darling. And…” Lilith’s perfect face faltered, but only for a second. “Say hello to my father for me. Well, I don’t know if he’ll let you live, but you will, won’t you Sam?”

Eileen looked at Sam quickly. The demons had let him go, and he remained kneeling on the floor, hands bound behind his back. He nodded. “Of course.” But he wasn’t answering Lilith. They’d both come up with the same plan, Eileen knew it. Was that the benefit of soulmates?

Lilith draped herself in front of the altar, hands pressed against it. She smiled. “Go ahead, Eileen.”

Eileen couldn’t risk another look at Sam. She raised the gun, took careful aim, waited one breath, and fired.

And just like she promised, she aimed low. It wouldn’t matter where Lilith was hit, it was the _Colt._ But low gave Sam a better chance.

And just like he promised, Sam made a desperate leap and caught the bullet in his arm. He cried out when he hit the ground, the bullet wound sparking with strange light.

Lilith shrieked in fury, but Eileen was already chanting an exorcism under her breath. She watched long enough to see the demons smoke out, including Lilith in a white streaked red cloud. Then she darted to Sam’s side.

He was still alive, his hand pressed into his wound. Eileen put her hand over his, helpless.

“Colt doesn’t usually…take this long.” Sam coughed, his body shuddering. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Eileen held him. “We had bonus time, remember?”

Her tears blurred her sight, but it was clear enough to see him sign “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she gasped. And then she waited, head bowed, heart broken, waiting for her soulmate to die.

Except he wasn’t dying.

Sam stared at his wound curiously. Nothing was happening.

“How long is it supposed to take?” Eileen asked.

“I should be dead by now,” Sam answered. “But I’m not. I mean, it hurts, but it’s not going to kill me.”

“Maybe it wasn’t the Colt?”

“It looked like the Colt. And I felt it…I felt it through my body. But it stopped, and—”

Eileen gasped. Right under her hand, the wound was healing, closing.

“Sam!”

Sam looked behind her, and his expression changed. He shifted to a seated position, gripping Eileen’s arm.

Eileen turned. A man with a scruffy beard and an old robe was standing in the church.

“Christo.” It was instinct. Had the demons found vessels so quickly?

But the man’s eyes didn’t flash black. Instead his body glowed for a moment before returning to normal.

“Hello Sam, hello Eileen. You did it.”

“Who are you?” Eileen asked. She turned to Sam, who looked utterly overwhelmed. “Sam? Do you know him?”

Sam shook his head. “No—but—he’s—”

“My name in this body is Chuck,” the man explained. “But that is not who I truly am. The two of you have set me free. Come with me; there is much to do.”

Eileen pulled herself to her feet, standing in front of Sam. “Who are you _truly,_ then?”

“I am God,” Chuck replied. “And there are wrongs I must right.” He snapped his fingers, and the world exploded in a rush of colour.

Cas stood in front of Michael, his blade knocked out of his hand. The fight still raged behind him; no one would come to his aid. This was it. But he wouldn’t beg.

“Kneel, Castiel,” Michael urged him. “Why die for the humans? They are nothing.”

A voice rang out, from nowhere and everywhere. **They are everything.**

That made Cas drop. In fact, every angel around him fell to their knees. Cas scrambled to Dean’s side, still willing to fight if it came to that…

But it didn’t look like it would.

Sam and Eileen stood hand in hand, just outside the group of kneeling angels. They were standing beside another being, one that Cas had never seen before. But he recognized Him all the same.

“Father?” Cas asked.

Dean groaned, and Cas looked down, distracted. “Dean? Dearest?”

“What happened?” Dean looked up, and then followed Cas’ gaze back to the new arrivals. “Sammy!” He struggled to sit up, but Cas held him back.

Sam looked bewildered, one hand pressed to his arm as he stared at…at God.

“My children, I am home.”

Cas almost wanted to laugh. Almost wanted to cry. But he was too shocked still, so sure that Dean’s death had sent him into madness.

“I never intended to leave you,” Father continued. “But I was betrayed by two sons, and it took this long to unravel that betrayal and come back to myself.”

“Two sons?” Cas asked before he could stop himself.

“Lucifer planned to destroy the humans, but this was a crime that needed punishment and time to reflect, not an eternity of punishment followed by an apocalypse. I meant to leave to spend some time reflecting, but when I left, the wrong one was left with power.”

Cries of shock went up, and Michael actually cried out in pain. “Father, I…”

“No, Michael. Not you, though you have made mistakes which must be atoned for.” Father sighed. “I speak of Metatron.”

_Metatron?!_

But Metatron was no one, a pencil pusher. He worked in the Hall of Records…

“The Transformer?” Sam asked, confused.

“Dude, that’s Megatron!” Dean snapped.

“Metatron was given the task of putting down my Word before I left,” Father continued. “He was to give you my guidance while I spent some time among the humans, trying to undo the damage Lucifer had done. I was wrong to trust him with that power. He changed my Word.”

“I do not understand,” Michael whispered.

“I know you do not. Neither did I. It took these humans to bring me back to myself.” Father gestured between the group and Sam and Eileen. “You see, Metatron could not change what I had already done, only what would be. And he could not change the nature of the profound bonds. He could not take away the soulmates.”

“My numbers,” Cas said. He was shocked at his own boldness, but when his Father turned his eye to him, he didn’t look away. “Those were there before you left.”

“Precisely. When you and Anna were created, you had soulmates. It was a bit of a surprise to me,” (and his Father smiled then), “but I wanted humans to have their mates. You and Dean were soulmates. It was simple, thousands of years before Dean was even conceived.”

“And Metatron couldn’t change that?” Gabriel asked. Cas glanced over his shoulder, to see his brother staring wide eyed.

“No, Gabriel. He couldn’t. All he could do was change how the angels interpreted my Word. And he was good at it, good enough apparently to make many of you believe it was I who gave the orders.” Father turned to Michael. “I never wanted an apocalypse, Michael; I wanted you and your brother to sort out your problems. The humans, the Earth, they are what is important. I gave you all paradise, I wanted you to help humans get to their own paradise. But I cannot fault you entirely; Metatron’s magic was fuelled by my Word, and it worked.”

“So what broke the spell?”

“Castiel and Dean began it. Because Castiel was in love with Dean, it gave him the strength to resist Heaven’s urges, causing the first crack in Metatron’s story. And Sam and Eileen…the two who didn’t even know that they were soulmates...” Father turned to them and held up his hands, beginning to sign as he spoke. _You both gave up your chance to be together in order to save the world. That was powerful magic, strong enough to break the last of it. And Anna and Jo brought you together, to complete the trio._

“Where is Metatron now?” Cas growled. The angel had disappeared years ago, with most assuming him fallen.

“Dead. He was working with Lilith, of course, and she stabbed him before I was fully conscious again.” Father sighed. “I would have preferred for him to stand trial, but perhaps it was better this way.”

“Was he working with anyone in Heaven?”

Father’s face hardened. “He was. Zachariah was one. Naomi? Bartholomew? What have you to say for yourselves?”

Two angels were yanked to the front. Cas’ Grace prickled when he saw them.

“We were following your orders!” Naomi said desperately.

 “Perhaps you thought that once. And when you knew? When Metatron trusted you with his secret?”

None of them spoke.

Father sighed. “Begone. I don’t want to deal with you right now.” He waved his hand and the three vanished.

Michael got to his feet, still trembling in his vessel. “I am responsible as well, Father. I believed it to be your Word, but I knew you were gone. I should have done better.”

“You have done wrong, Michael. But I have a way you can work to repent.”

“Name it Father, and it is done.”

Father approached Michael. “I am asking a lot of you, my child. I wish for you to go to the Cage and be with your brother. Share your new knowledge, and help him learn what he was meant to learn ages ago. I will go with you and explain what has happened. What has changed.”

“I will do it, Father.”

“That’s my good son.” Father patted his shoulder. “We will depart soon, but first I want you to apologize to your family. And to the family of your Vessel.”

Michael turned, and reached out tentatively with his Grace. _Brothers, sisters…I am at a loss. What I have done may not be undone, but I beg your forgiveness. I was under a spell, but my choices were my own. I played the part well._

Cas reached back. _You had no reason to think there wasn’t truth to everything, Michael. I forgive you._

Cas smiled as he felt his siblings echo the forgiveness. He took a second to pull Dean to his feet, and he stood hand in hand with his soulmate. Sam and Eileen walked over to them, hand in hand as well. Anna and Jo, Bobby and Ellen, they were on their feet now too.

Michael turned to them. “I do not know what to say to you all. Your lives have been pulled apart by the forces of Heaven and Hell alike, all in the name of something that should not come to pass. I promise you that there will be no further meddling, and I wish all blessings upon you.”

Dean just nodded.

“Thank you.” Sam squeezed Eileen’s hand. “I think we have all we want, though.”

“Speak for yourself, I want a motorcycle,” Jo said.

Father laughed. “We can get you a motorcycle, Joanna.”

Michael laid his blade down. “I am ready, Father.”

“Very well. Talk with your brother, and try not to fight. You’ve both done enough of that. When you’re finished, call to me and I will let you out.”

“We will be released?” Michael asked. He looked stunned.

“Of course, my son. None of this was meant to be permanent.”  Father put a hand on his shoulder. “I will be with you both soon, my son. I promise.”.”

Michael smiled, and then he vanished.

Father turned to the crowd. “I believe our human guests would like to spend some time together, and we have much to discuss. Castiel, Anna, please stay with your soulmates, and return when you are ready. I will speak to you then.”

“Yes Father,” Anna answered. She gathered Jo in her arms, and gestured Ellen and Bobby closer.

Cas cuddled Dean against him, still shocked. “Come here, Sam, Eileen.”

Father smiled. “I will send you to your home.”

“Do you mean the trees?” Cas asked.

“Not quite.” And Father snapped his fingers.

Eileen looked around her in surprise. They were standing on a road in front of a building set into a little hill. There was a door that looked like it could withstand the Apocalypse. The Novaks, Miltons and Rufus were there too, looking just as confused.

“What is this place?”

Gabriel whistled. “I’ll be damned. This is the Men of Letters Bunker.”

“The Men of Letters?!” Eileen remembered that. “My mother’s father was in that organization.”

“It went defunct about fifty years ago,” Gabriel replied. “Demons attacked a meeting, and wiped everyone out. Guess it’s time to get it going again. It’s the safest place in the world; warded against everything.”

 _Safe. Home._ Eileen didn’t really know what that meant, but looking at Sam, she realized she wanted that more than anything.

Sam was smiling back at her, a soft smile she’d never seen before. _It’s over_ , he signed. And then he said it aloud. “It’s over. We freaking did it!”

And Sam scooped Eileen into his arms and kissed her fiercely, and when he let her go, Eileen could see the others laughing and hugging. She grabbed Anna and spun her around, and she laughed out loud, because it felt so freaking good to laugh and have her blank wrist not bother her and the omens were gone and she could _feel_ it, feel that the rest of her life was starting.

And she wouldn’t be alone.

 

They took a vacation for a week; three days to spend in the Bunker relaxing and settling in, and four days on a beach in the middle of nowhere. Years later Bunker visitors would look through the album of that week and wonder why Sam Winchester had ever worn roller skates (lost a bet), whether Anna and Jo had really surfed that tall a wave (yes by accident), and if Balthazar was single (potentially yes, because he was a serial monogamist).

But they were all secretly glad when the week was over.

They had work to do.

It happened differently for everyone. Gabriel, Balthazar, and Hannah returned to Heaven, working with God to help undo Metatron’s spells. Every few days, there was a little shift on Earth; less hate, less worry, less suffering. Free will still existed, and people still used it for evil, but there was more hope than there’d been in many years.

Sam and Eileen made the Bunker their home base, and they learned about the Men of Letters’ history. They found old projects and knowledge, all the effort past generations had put into trying to create a better world, and decided to continue it.

Most of the old MOL network was destroyed, but the plans for establishing that network still existed. Staying up late several nights, Sam and Eileen worked through a plan to bring hunters together across the country, linking them with law enforcement, scholars, and health professionals (because seriously, it was hard to remember how to lie effectively about injuries when you were bleeding out in an ER).

One of their first connections was with Jody and Donna Mills. They were both cops in Sioux Falls, and they were aware of the supernatural, even if they weren’t active hunters. Donna offered to start spreading out links through a large network of cousins across the Midwest, while Jody worked with Ellen and Bobby to establish Hunter Safehouses. Eventually, there were a few in every state, a house warded as well as the Bunker with food, medical supplies, and steady Wi-Fi.

Dean and Cas helped with those parts—it was Dean’s recipe collection that made it into each house, and Cas learned to knit blankets and scarves for the northern states—but Dean actually retired from hunting. It came as a shock to both him and Sam, but if the almost Apocalypse had taught Dean anything, it was that having a chance at happiness was freaking worth it. He (of course) extracted a solemn promise from both Sam and Eileen to be very careful with each other. It worked out well, and they actually put themselves on Bunker duty, preferring to take on the ‘badass librarian’ role.

It took time, it took patience, and it took a lot more diplomacy than Sam enjoyed, but their little network grew until Sam and Eileen were sharing the Bunker with a few other hunters. There was Dorothy Baum and Charlie Bradbury, who’d digitized their entire collection and set up forums for hunters, Alicia and Max Banes, and Kevin Tran, the newest prophet. He was only a kid, so his mother Linda came with him, along with her girlfriend Kate Milligan and Kate’s son Adam. It didn’t take long to find out about Adam’s father, and Sam welcomed his half-brother, who actually had a proper soulmate mark.  

Dean and Cas decided not to live in the Bunker. They had a little house in Sioux Falls, close to the Mills and Bobby. Dean worked with Bobby at Singer’s Salvage, and Cas did some work at the local diner. They weren’t rich, but luckily Angel Air was free, and they still spent plenty of time visiting the different Safe Houses, and of course the Bunker.

A few years later, Dean and Cas were starting to think about having a child, and Jody offered the name of their Bonder. For soulmates of the same sex, having children was slightly more complicated. In order for a child to be conceived within the bond, both soulmates had to approve of the Donor (whether of sperm or womb). This was cemented in a ceremony performed by a Bonder, who was chosen at birth with a second counter on their wrist, which counted down the number of ceremonies they would perform.

Amelia was happy to Bind Dean and Cas to Jo, who volunteered to carry their child. She gave them twins nine months later, and three years later Dean returned the favour, giving Jo and Anna a son.

Eileen and Sam never had children of their own. They had several dogs, training them for hunting and for therapy dogs (Sam’s dog was a huge Newfoundland that hogged the covers). They were happy, fulfilled by each other and their work, their puppies and their family.

But when they worked a case about the Peterson family, they brought Magda Peterson back to the Bunker with them, and gave her an Irish Wolfhound who helped steady her magic. Magda called herself Maura and took both their names and worked with Sam, Max, and Alicia to develop her powers.

And when the moment was right for little Bobby and Mary Winchester, when it was right for Rick Harvelle, and Maura Leahy-Winchester, their parents told them stories about soulmates. How the rules weren’t as simple as everyone thought, and that it was so much more powerful than they’d ever dreamed. And how for four humans and two angels, the solution to save the world had been written on their wrists.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope everyone enjoyed! This idea's been digging at me for ages, so I hope it came out as well as I wanted it to!  
> Cheers,  
> Acme


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